Market Pulse

All eyes this morning were on the Aussie inflation read for the first quarter of 2014. In a surprise, the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed 1Q14 CPI growth of 0.6%, this being below economist expectations for an inflation rate of 0.8%. Underlying CPI – which strips out volatile items like food, alcohol and tobacco –

In recent years, the total number of jobs advertised in Australia has been steadily declining. Although Australia escaped the worst of the GFC, the number of job ads recently hit their lowest since the initial post-GFC period in early 2009. The ongoing decline in job ads was no doubt a function of Australia’s slowing economic

The Aussie market enjoyed solid gains last week, with the ASX 200 putting on 1% over the five sessions. Banking stocks were amongst the best performers, with traders and investors buying them up ahead of upcoming dividend payments. BHP also stood out, both for it’s appreciating share price and its plans to divest up to

Copper has been battered from pillar to post in 2014. The red metal has long been considered a growth commodity given its widespread industrial usage. China’s roaring economy was a key driver of copper demand during the 2000s, but with the nation’s growth slowing in recent years, prices have been hampered by weaker demand. Price